Young and restless in Berkshire County

This month’s issue of Berkshire magazine has the beginning of an interesting and important article about a wildly overlooked problem in the county: how hard it is for young people to make a living here.

Pulver is not alone in her struggle within this idyllic, rural resort haven. Young adults, ages 20 to 30, comprise nearly 12 percent of the area’s total population of 131,219, and many are faltering under the weight of mere existence. In a vibrant community of creative types and non-profit organizations, they are getting lost in the cracks of underemployment, a practically defunct public-transportation system, and an exorbitant cost of living where the monthly juggling act of paying rent or buying groceries never quite evens out.

Writer Nichole Dupont deserves credit for giving a voice to these struggling young people, who are usually mentioned only in the abstract when people try to figure out why our native sons and daughters are all leaving. It is certainly not the kind of story you rarely see in our mainstream media outlets, where boosterism remains the order of the day. Nor frankly would you expect to see it in Berkshire magazine — let alone its home and design issue.

My biggest complaint is that at 1,650 words, this is just the start of the story.